This issue of Shotgun Seamstress focuses on visual artists. Here the black punk focus gets applied to people working outside of punk music.

Included within: an interview with Afro-Punk director James Spooner, a write-up on the art of Adee Roberson, a letter to Vaginal Creme Davis, praises for performance artist Kalup Linzy, an interview with video performance artist Jacob Gardens, and a poem by Lenelle Moise...[ continued ]

There is so much in here: interviews with Trash Kit, Ms. Jacci Gresham, Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha, and (the one-and-only) Poly Styrene (!!!) of the X-Ray Spex just before her death.

Plus a Manifesta excerpt from Cocoa Puss--the amazing former Tacoma, Wa-based zine, 80’s DC hardcore, a Camping comic, punk through the African diaspora, and more. But the highlight of this zine is Osa’s introduction, where she lays out what Shotgun Seamstress has meant in her life...[ continued ]

In six issues, Shotgun Seamstress covered a lot of ground. Golnar Nikpour says it best in her introduction: "this is not (just) a personal zine, not (just) a music zine, not (just) a political zine, but rather an explosive combination of the best of all those DIY traditions."

Through essays, interviews, historical portraits of important artists and scenes, reviews, and so much more, Shotgun Seamstress paid tribute and gave a platform for, "Black feminists, artists, punks, queers, and musicians...[ continued ]

Thinking about her own identity as Nigerian and what this looks like when growing up in America, Osa interviews Diane Enobabor, Kyle Okafor (Yumii), Nneka A., and herself (Osasu Atoe) about their experiences and ideas.

The conversations that happen are fascinating and expansive--culture, identity, family, ancestry, tribes, name meanings, internalized racism in the African-American community, religion, life in Nigeria, and much much more...[ continued ]

Shotgun Seamstress #8 covers so much territory. Thoughts on imperfect heroes and the way that slogans can't sum up systematic oppression. Broadside-esque pages on punk activism, Alli Lowe of The Atomic Tanlines, and Neil deGrasse Tyson.